


A Show of Stars

by Oceanbourne



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: F/M, this is just fluff for valentine's day, very sappy too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 22:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13690695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oceanbourne/pseuds/Oceanbourne
Summary: Ephraim and Tana attend a celebration on a Frelian waterfront.





	A Show of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very, very endgame Ephraim/Tana piece. I feel like this relationship has potential but Ephraim would need to heavily adjust his attitude towards her. In their support he doesn't seem to regard her as a woman, just a child, and I was really rooting for Tana to develop something substantial with her infatuation because she really is a sweet girl and Ephraim's attitude is crude, but not wholly unrefined.

“Are you ready, Ephraim?”

The quill traces the final line of the letter ‘M,’ and Ephraim puts it down to reach for the slip of paper on which he was writing. There is a hole on the side of the paper, through which he ties a thin cord. Now the name ‘EPHRAIM’ hangs from the top of the paper lantern, next to a similar paper upon which Tana had written her name.

Ephraim picks up the lantern, holding it by a knot at the top. “Yeah, just finished. Let’s go.”

Tana smiles, gesturing with a couple of fingers for him to follow her. She leads him out onto the fields, where Achaeus is waiting.

“We should hurry!” Tana urges, her steps getting quicker. “It’s getting late!”

Ephraim casts a gaze to the sun, beginning its descent beneath the hills of Frelia. The sky is a dark orange, but he can still feel the sun’s rays stretching across the land.

“What’s the rush?” Ephraim asks. “We’ve got plenty of time before sunset.”

Tana turns around, her face caught in an ‘o’ of surprise. One hand strokes Achaeus’ saddle absentmindedly. “I mean, well… it could be a long ride. I don’t want to miss it!”

She’s certainly excitable today, Ephraim thinks, walking up to Achaeus. The pegasus inclines its head, dark eyes peering at him. It feels like Achaeus is boring a hole in his head. But then the pegasus relaxes, lowering his head so that Ephraim can stroke its snout.

“I think he’s starting to warm up to me,” Ephraim says.

“Well, I’m glad!” Tana answers. “Much better than the first time you met him, I’ll say.”

Ephraim doesn’t have to be reminded of the time a pegasus almost sent its hoof through his armor.

Tana climbs onto the saddle first, scooting up to give Ephraim room to climb on. On the side of the saddle is a little metal ring next to the stirrup with a detachable portion. Ephraim slides the circle in the lantern’s knot into the ring where it detaches, letting the lantern hang. With both hands free, he places them on Achaeus’ back, his feet in the stirrups, and pushes himself onto the pegasus, behind Tana.

“Alright, I’m good.”

Tana turns to the side, and he can see her glancing at him through the corner of her eye. “Um…” she starts. “Make sure to hang on tight, okay?”

“It’s a privilege to,” Ephraim remarks, placing his hands around Tana’s waist. He can feel her shoulders relax, and she tugs on the reins. “Okay, Achaeus, let’s go!”

The pegasus trots forward, accelerating into a gallop. Achaeus’ white wings crest up and down, flapping air underneath them. Ephraim feels like he’s riding on the wind, with how quick Tana’s pegasus propels them with both its hooves and wings.

And then he no longer feels the hooves stamp the ground, only the earth fall from under them as Achaeus soars into the sky. Gravity pulls him back as Achaeus tilts upward, so he has to grab onto Tana a little tighter. But she doesn’t seem to mind, guiding her pegasus over the forests that surround Castle Frelia and charting a course for the waterfront of Lake Lyske.

Ephraim knows the lake well; it’s been a favorite of Tana’s since childhood. Not only was it one of the largest lakes in Frelia, but it also served as a popular location for couples to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

As Achaeus begins to level out, Ephraim relaxes and takes note of the scenery. From this high position he can see the dirt roads and meadows basking in a last of the sun’s rays. The horizon is a striking mixture of white, orange, and blue, and he realizes just how much more he can see from the sky than on the ground.

“It’s beautiful,” he lets out.

“It really is,” Tana murmurs in assent.

As they approach Lake Lsyke, Ephraim reaches down to unfasten the lantern. Tana has told him about the tradition: couples would bring candles in paper containers to the shore, letting the hot air propel them over the lake. Like Ephraim and Tana had done, their names would be tied on paper slips, a pledge of unity and devotion. The numerous candles would rise into the air, creating a wondrous light show that shone in the night sky.

But now, Ephraim and Tana would have a front row seat to see all the lights ascending into the sky. To gaze upon lights floating above you was one image - to see them radiate around you was a true spectacle.

“Ephraim, look!” Tana points to their left.

The first of the sky lanterns have begun to rise, making their way up from the ground through the air. Several more follow, both from their left and from their right. Tana pulls Achaeus to the side, so that the lanterns have a clear path into the sky.

“Guess it’s time for ours to come out, too.” He holds the lantern in an outstretched hand, keeping it in his grasp for a second before letting go. The lantern drops a few feet, before the air within propels it upward and outward, towards the multitude of lights gathering above the lake.

Achaeus continues circling around the sky lanterns, which must have increased to over a hundred by now. Ephraim wonders if people are watching them, sitting in the best seat in the house.

“This is incredible,” Tana says. “I’ve spent every year watching the lights from the ground, but it’s amazing when we’re in the air. It’s like shooting stars are falling all around us.”

“I don’t anything really compares to this.” Ephraim reaches with one hand, finding Tana’s own hand and placing his on top of hers. “And it’s a blessing to share this with you.”

Tana leans back, settling her shoulders along his chest. “It feels like a dream, really.”

Achaeus curves up a little, and Ephraim finds that they’re hovering just above the lanterns. He can make out some of their colors - green, red, blue. But mostly it’s a kaleidoscope of light, illuminating the sky as the sun begins to descend underneath the horizon.

“Is that how it feels to you?” Ephraim asks. He reaches for Tana’s chin, tilting it gently so that she looks up at him. Her eyes glow a deep blue, reflecting the vastness of space above them.

He can sense the surprise welling up in the rise of her chest. Ephraim leans down, putting his lips to hers.

“How about now?”

“Now I feel like I want this moment to last forever,” she breathes.

“Maybe I don’t have that power,” Ephraim says, “but we can certainly try.” Tana lifts her head up expectantly. He obliges, and this kiss is deep and full of purpose.

For minutes they are content to lay there, blanketed by the twinkling lights around them and the chilling embrace of the sky. But the candles do not burn forever, and Ephraim can sense them beginning to fade. Without that heat, the lanterns would descend, collecting in the net that the Frelians had cast over the lake.

“I guess it’s time to head back,” Ephraim reminds Tana, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder.

“Mm… so soon?” she whines.

“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to share tonight together,” Ephraim promises her.

She turns to the side and gives him a meek smile. “I’ll take your word for it. Oh,” she adds with a sigh, “but it was so lovely.”

Ephraim squeezes her hand. “I know. It was a special occasion, for a special girl. But these sorts of things can only happen every so often, or the magic is lost.”

“It’ll always be magic to me,” Tana insists. She points her gaze downward, hesitating for a second. “Ephraim, I… I’m so glad to be with you.”

Her sincerity actually renders him with nothing much to say. He takes a deep breath, thinking carefully.

But there’s no catch here, no correct answer. He just decides to speak plainly.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

Tana bristles. She pulls at the reins gingerly, and Achaeus makes his gradual descent. If he could see her face clearly, Ephraim would see a blush on her cheeks.

“Ephraim…”

The last trace of light falls beneath the horizon. They make their way down in the gray of twilight.

“You’re my everything, Tana.”

The emptiness around them allows a mere whisper to speak volumes.

“You are my love.”


End file.
